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The Nightbrother cried out as Cal's boot connected with his face, sending blood spraying from his split lip. Growling in rage, he kicked back at the young Padawan, hitting him straight in the ribs. Cal yelped at the impact, even as he continued writhing in the hands of the Nightbrothers. Despite his struggles, they continued to carry him through the underbelly of Dathomir.
He should have listened to Cordova's warnings about Dathomir more carefully. Cordova had said that it was a dark place, but he hadn't been too worried. He'd been to a fair share of violent places during his time as a Padawan during the Clone Wars, hell he'd lived on Bracca for five years. And Bracca had plenty of unsavoury characters littering its population. But he hadn't been prepared for this.
Any hope he'd had of avoiding a fight had disappeared the moment the Nightsister had ordered the Nightbrothers to attack him. He hadn't wanted to hurt any of them. To kill any of them. But they just wouldn't stop.
When they'd shot the ground out from under him, and he'd ended up in the depths of Dathomir, he'd told himself everything would be fine. That he could get out of this. But the Nightbrothers had just kept coming and coming until eventually, he'd been overwhelmed. He'd told BD to run before they swarmed him. He'd seen BD escape into a sma enough gap they couldn't follow him, and it was that small comfort that kept him from outright panic.
Cal grunted as he was thrown to the ground, and his arms were wrenched behind his back. Rough twine was wrapped around his wrists, tight enough that he hissed at the feeling of it cutting into his wrists. He looked up to see a giant of a Nightbrother, warpaint streaked across his face, a massive axe in his grasp.
"I propose a test, brothers!" He bellowed. His voice echoed through the caverns, and the other Nightbrothers cheered at his words. "This one dares to think himself worthy of stepping foot on our planet!"
The warrior circled him, glaring down at him with hateful eyes.
"I believe that he should be judged, as any of our own people are!" The Nightbrothers hung on his every word, and Cal shivered at the look of excitement in their eyes. "I say, he should face the winged daemon of the canyon! Gorgara!"
The Nightbrothers roared their approval. Cal was grabbed by his bound arms and dragged to his feet, marched towards the edge of a cliff. His mind raced with every step. What was Gorgara? A winged daemon? What was going to happen to him?
With a final harsh pull, he was dragged to the very edge. Cal stared down into the darkness, just about able to see the bottom of the pit there. His heart pounded as he imagined what could be waiting for him down there.
A boot slammed straight into his back and his breath stalled in his chest as he became airborne.
For a terrifying moment, there was nothing, before he hit the steep, rocky side of the pit with a crack. Sliding down the rough slope, he cried out as the rocks cut through his clothes and into his skin, leaving behind bloody scrapes and bruises.
Cal hit the bottom of the pit with a thud that knocked the breath out of him. He coughed hoarsely as he tried to breathe, rolling onto his side as he tried to sit up.
A low snarl interrupted his effort and he froze. Slowly looking up, his heart almost stopped as he saw what was clinging to the top of the back wall of the large cave he had landed in.
Claws dug deep into the rock, a massive creature stared down at him. Misty blue eyes, pale fur, and massive wings. Each claw was about the size of his entire body and he had never been more aware of the bindings around his wrists.
"Come on, come on, please." He begged, tugging at his restraints frantically as what must have been Gorgara began her descent.
He could feel the bonds cutting deeper and deeper into his wrists but his struggling only increased as Gorgara finally hit the ground. He almost sobbed as the giant creature got closer and closer.
He was going to die.
A burst of frantic beeping came from behind him and suddenly he was free. BD jumped in front of him, the remains of his bonds clinging to one of his legs. The little droid whined in concern as it looked at the blood staining his clothes, but there was no time. Springing to his feet, Cal drew his lightsaber and prepared to fight for his life.
---
Gorgara span in the air as she was caught in the crosswinds of Dathomir, and Cal screamed as he clung to the fur on her neck, burying his face in it to try and protect himself.
There was a thundering crash as Gorgara broke through tons of rock, sending shards of debris showering down to the ground. Cal risked looking up and cursed as he saw the giant formation they were about to fly straight into.
"Hold on BD!" He yelled. Throwing himself into the air, he only just managed to clear the top of the formation. Gorgara crashed into it behind him with a sickening crunch, leaving it crumbling beneath her weight.
The Padawan flew through the air, before hitting the ground hard . Gorgara came to a final stop not far from where he had landed, completely still.
Cal curled up on the floor, keening at the pain running through his entire body. He could feel BD prodding his shoulder, could hear him beeping furiously, asking if he was okay. And he wanted to respond. But he was just so tired .
His eyes slid shut and he knew no more.
---
Cal's eyes flew open as he shot up. Or at least made an attempt to. Halfway up, he was stopped by a crushing pain in his ribs. Choking on a cry of pain, he fell back down to the bed, clutching his side.
"Ah, you're awake." He heard from across the room. Gasping at the sudden voice, his eyes darted to look at the source.
It was the Wanderer.
The old man sat in a chair across the other side of the room. It was a relatively small room, carved out of the existing rock. Sparsely furnished, with a bed, some chairs, a small table and a small fire crackling to the side.
"What happened?" Cal asked, eying the man warily. He didn't know what it was about him, but something about him just seemed… off . It had the first time he'd met him and now it felt even worse.
"You defeated Gorgara!" He crowed. While his voice was friendly, excited even, his eyes were cold. Shards of ice that seemed to stare straight into his soul. "I found you at her final resting place. You're lucky to be alive."
Looking down at himself, he noticed for the first time that his shirt was missing. Bandages were wrapped around much of his skin, covering numerous cuts and scrapes. In the gaps between the bandages, he could see bruises that had already turned black, promising pain that would last.
"Why'd you help me?" He asked, turning his gaze back to the stranger.
"Well, why would I?" Cal tensed as the old man stood from his chair. "Should I have just left you there?"
The Padawan didn't answer, too busy watching his every move. The Wanderer poured what looked like soup into a small bowl and made his way over to Cal, holding it out to him.
He didn't take it.
"Come now." The old man chuckled. "I promise there's no Bane Back Spider in there."
He cautiously took the bowl, eyeing it's contents. It looked normal enough, and so he took a sip. Thankfully, it wasn't disgusting.
"Where's-"
"Your little droid friend?" The Wanderer asked. "He's been standing guard outside. You've got yourself a good friend there."
That much was true. The old man walked over to the door, more of a heavy curtain really, and poked his head outside. Cal heard his low voice, followed by loud beeping, and he smiled as BD skittered into the room. Rocketing over to the bed, the droid jumped up to stand by his side, giving an inquisitive trill.
"Yeah, I'm okay buddy. Are you?"
BD beeped reassuringly. Cal finished his soup and placed the bowl to the side. The Wanderer had sat back down by now, and was watching him again in a way that made his skin crawl.
"How far is it to get back to the surface?" The Padawan asked, sitting up more carefully this time, breathing through the pain.
"We're already there, my boy." The old man smiled. "I brought you to one of the old homes here. They've been abandoned for some time. No risk of the Nightbrothers finding you here, don't you worry."
"Right." He said, looking down at BD. Even the droid looked uncomfortable with The Wanderer's presence, despite his assistance. Despite the fact that his body was still screaming at him, he knew they should leave sooner rather than later.
Standing up from the bed slowly, he grabbed his shirt off of a nearby chair, pulling it on carefully while BD kept watch. He frowned at the tears in the fabric, knowing that he didn't have any spares on the Mantis. After all, he hadn't exactly had the time to grab anything when he'd fled Bracca.
"Well, thank you for your help." Cal said, adjusting the straps on his armour.
"It's no bother really." The Wanderer said. "You don't have to leave so suddenly. You should rest."
"No, I, uh… I need to finish what I came here to do." He said, not exactly lying. All he wanted to do was find whatever he was supposed to in that temple and then go back to the Mantis, where even if things were tense, he knew it was safe .
"Of course." The old man nodded. "Do be careful this time. And good luck!"
Cal nodded awkwardly as BD jumped up on his shoulder. Pushing the curtain inside, he slipped through and began to make his way back towards the temple.